Outlet-box support.



c. 0. BUGKELS. OUTLET BOX SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 6, 1911.

Patented Mar. 18, 1913.

PATENT OFFICE.

CHRISTOPHER BUCKELS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

OUTLET-BOX SUPPORT.

Application filed November 6, 1911.

Specification of-Lettess Patent.

Serial No. 658,824.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHRISTOPHER C. BUCKELS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Outlet- Box Supports, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in outlet-box supports and has for its general object to provide a simple, cheap, efficient structure for simplifying and expediting the setting up of outlet boxes such as are commonly employed in wiring buildings for electric lights. p

In general practice, it .has heretofore been customary to provide support for an outlet box by building a foundation of wooden pieces between such joists or studding members as might conveniently afford desired support for the foundation piece, and then toserew' or nail the outlet box directly to the foundation so provided. This method of supporting and securing the outlet box has many disadvantages, among which are the amount of time required for building the foundation, the difiiculty in rectifying any slight error in the emplacement of the box, and the comparative insecurity of many of the supporting structures so unsystematically contrived.

In general, my invention contemplates the use of a metal foundation or supporting bar having end'swhich may be easily secured to contiguous parallel joists or studs, and a carrier head, mounted to slide upon said bar to receive the outlet box permanently retained thereon by the feet, and are ranged to be locked in final position upon the bar by the securing of the outlet box or other supported part to said head.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view showing an application of my invention, and, in dotted lines, indicating the outlet box in another position of adjustment; Fig.

2 is a similar View, showin the adaptabil ity of the bar or foundation to different conditions; and Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view. I

In the drawings, 5--5 indicates joists, rafters, or studs, typical of parallel frame members of a building structure.- It is customary for building regulations to provide for the spacing of frame members of this kind and therefore comparativeregularity or uniformity in the conditions to convenience call joists, I provide a'bar, 6,

preferably a fiat strap relatively wide and thin, having its extremities bent, at substantial right angles, preferably in opposite directions to the body oft-he bar, to form feet, 77, and having said feet apertured, as at 8, for the reception of fastening means, such as nails or screws, 9. The length of the body or span of the bar is made to correspond with some usual recognized distance between frame embers, and of course different standard lengths may be provided as requirements vary in different places, and for different classes of work.

Mounted upon the body of the bar 6 and retained against removal therefrom by the feet 7--7 of the bar, I provide a carrier head, preferably in the form of a cylindrical member having a transverse opening slightly larger than the strap6' to permit the head freelyr to. slide upon the bar, the pendent, extremity of saidbody below said opening, 11, being screw-threaded, as at 12. Obviously, the carrier is placed upon the bar before its ends are bent over, and after the parts arev thus assembled, the supportin bar with its carrier may be freely shipped .and handled without effecting their separation.

In the commercial handling of my invention, the supportingbar 6 with its carrier 10 thereon may be sold as an article of/manufacture separate from the appurtenances which complete its eventual usefulness, as the outlet box and other parts may be bought in the open market. In the drawing, 13 indicates an outlet box of well known commercial pattern, 14 an ordinary lock nut, 15 ,an ordinary insulating joint, and 16 a rm ment of an electrolier.

11 use, the foundation bar is employed as shown in the drawing, its feet being connected to adjacent spaced supports, 55, any slight narrowness between the parts 55 being taken care of by bending the feet 7 of the bar, as indicated in Fig. 2, and slight superfluous distance between the supports 55 being obviously readily taken care of by protrusion of the nails or screws, with. or without the employment of small wooden shims or metal washers, between one foot and the contiguous joist 5. When the bar 6 Patented Mar. 18,1913.

is in place, the carrier 10 may, of course,:be adjusted precisely to the position to secure the proper centering of the fixture to be supported, then t-he outlet box 13 is slipped in place to bear against the under edge of the bar 6 and the lock nut is screwed into place, so binding the outlet box 13 in position and at the same time clamping the carrier 10 tightly in the desired relation to the .bar 6.

What I claim is:

1. The combination of a bar for connection between two supports, a carrier head apertured to surround and slide upon said bar and having a screw-threaded portion below said aperture, an outlet box, and means engaging said 'screw thread retaining the outlet box and the, carrier head both clamped against the bar.

2. As an article of manufacture, an outletbox supporting means comprising a fiat bar, having a perforate carrier head slidably mounted thereon between its ends, the extremities of said bar being bent oppositely to form connecting feet, and to retain the head upon said body of the bar and to prevent removal ther'efrom, said carrier head being provided with an exterior screw-thread for the reception of a nut to lock the head on the bar.

3. The combination of head-supporting means including a bar, and a head having a perforation receiving said bar for adjustment to desired position thereon, a part upon the head to receive an outlet box, and means to press said head, bar, and box into frictional engagement.

4. The combination of head supporting means including a bar, a carrier head havingaperforation receiving said bar for adsition of adjustment.

5. The'combination of a bar, having a straight carrier receiving part, a carrier member thereon, said member being shaped to engage around said bar whereby it cannot be laterally removed but is longitudinally adjustable to any position between the ends of said straight portion, a screw threaded member carried by said carrier member, an outlet box upon said portion, and a nut to press said box in frictional engagement with theabar.

6. The combination with a bar having ends formed for attachment to a support and a straightso-lid imperforate carrier-supporting portion between said ends, of a carrier member engaging over said straight portion for permanent support thereon and sliding movement to any position between said ends of the bar, means on the carrier to engage an outlet box, and means to tighten said parts for maintenance of the carrier in any position of adjustment.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

CHRISTOPHER C. BUCKELS.

In the presence of- W. LINN ALLEN, MaRY F. ALLEN. 

